J.R. Smith arrested in South Beach
Knicks guard J.R. Smith talks to the media as the Knicks clean out their lockers the day after being eliminated from the playoffs by Miami. (May 10, 2012) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Miami Beach police say a New York Knicks player has been arrested on a bench warrant for not having a valid driver's license.
Sgt. Bobby Hernandez says 26-year-old J.R. Smith was stopped Thursday night on Washington Avenue in South Beach. A routine search revealed the bench warrant and he was arrested.
Details were not immediately available on what led police to stop Smith around 8:30 p.m.
Hernandez says Smith was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail, where officials say he bonded out early Friday.
No attorney was listed on jail records for Smith, whose legal name is Earl Joseph Smith.
Smith was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. He played in China during the NBA lockout last fall and played for the New York Knicks in 2012.
